title: Body fat distribution is associated with lumbar spine bone density independently of body weight in postmenopausal women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the association between the body fat distribution and axial bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women with or without hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional population-based study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University of Eastern Finland, Bone and Cartilage Research Unit, Kuopio, Finland.
  
  
  METHODS
  198 postmenopausal women, mean age 67.5 (1.9 SD), mean BMI 27.1 (3.9 SD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Regional body composition and BMD assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA, Prodigy).
  
  
  METHODS
  Spinal and Femoral BMD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of the body composition parameters, FM was the main determinant of postmenopausal bone mass. Only the lumbar spine (L2-L4) BMD, not the femoral neck BMD, was positively associated with the trunk FM. Positive trends for association were revealed between the spinal BMD and the trunk FM regardless of the use of HRT. Adjustments did not change the results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher trunk fat mass was associated with the spinal BMD, but not with the hip BMD in postmenopausal women, irrespective of the HRT use. In addition to biological factors, uncertainties related to DXA measurements in patients with varying body mass may contribute to this phenomenon.
authors.affiliation: Bone and Cartilage Research Unit, Clinical Research Center, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland. jtsaarel@hytti.uku.fi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Saarelainen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Honkanen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kröger
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tuppurainen
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Jurvelin
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Niskanen
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000368:Aged; D050218:Body Fat Distribution; D001835:Body Weight; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur; D005387:Finland; D006615:Hip; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000502:physiology; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000502:physiology*